


This Could Be A Beginning

by Shatterpath



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captivity, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 23:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1666403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How theonlySPL's '<a href="http://singinprincess.tumblr.com/post/72832706080/swan-queen-week-hostage-au-part-1-after-weeks">Hostage AU</a>' piece could have ended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Could Be A Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [theonlySPL](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/51038) by Hostage AU. 



> Giftee: theonlySPL
> 
> Spoilers: Nope  
> Warnings: Non-violent captivity.  
> Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Notes: This piece was written as a moderator gift and was inspired by the prompt (per recipient): _If you wanna write something based of of or inspired by my[Hostage AU](http://singinprincess.tumblr.com/post/72832706080/swan-queen-week-hostage-au-part-1-after-weeks), that could be interesting!_
> 
> Don't read til you look at SPL's piece mentioned in the summary and notes or this will make little sense! And yes, I lept ahead in time from her lovely work, but it's pretty easy to figure out most of what happened in the missing days! Besides, I'll leave you imaginations to create the lovely image of Emma beating Hook half to death. I like that fantasy.

Fists still aching from the pounding she'd given Hook to unlock his fool mouth, Emma raced through the cave system beneath Storybrooke, leaving behind the weaving lights and noise of the rest of the rescuers. Once this was over and done with, Neal was next on her list to half-murder, no matter how Henry might feel about it. How could those bastard idiots have thought kidnapping Regina was a good idea? How insane were they anyway? 

And all because of her stupid, impulsive claim to be marrying the woman.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot," she muttered between breaths as she let instincts and the tug of magic lead her further into the pitch black. She didn't even notice how she glowed like a lantern to show the way, leaping over fallen stones and ducking low hanging beams. Like a string pulled tight, she could feel her magic respond to Regina's, as it had every time she'd allowed it to happen, by accident or design.

In fact, it was the kicker that let her find the woman, as she raced right past the hidden cell, slowing as the internal compass swung around and she quickly retraced her steps.

"Regina!"

The flare of... something, from behind what looked to be an ordinary stretch of mine wall was enough for Emma. She set aside a lifetime of cynicism and disbelief to reach out and just... believe.

With a groan and a shriek, the door behind the illusion tore away violently, the spell around it spluttering dead as the light around Emma flared bright and hot. The cringing figure in the shadows made Emma weak with relief and dread at what had befallen her.

"Regina," she spoke hoarsely, voice raw, and stepped in tentatively. "Regina."

Blinking and wet-eyed from the fading glare, the darker woman squinted around a protectively raised hand. She was filthy and looked weak, but seemed intact.

"Emma?"

Her voice was cracked and rusty, her expression disbelieving laced with pain. Utterly uncaring about the condition of the hovel of a cell, Emma knelt and yanked Regina into a crushing hug. Only then did the captive really react, her body stiffening before melting into Emma's body heat.

"You're really here."

"I'm so sorry," Emma choked out. "I never in a million years thought those bastard idiots would even conceive of something like this, much less actually do it. I'm so, so sorry. When I came up with that cover story, I was an ass and once again didn't think how it might affect you, you and Henry and anyone else. I'm so sorry for being selfish and getting you into this. So sorry..."

She was weeping now, clinging tightly to the woman she'd accidentally put in danger. Delicate hands, shaking with her ordeal, came to rest around Emma's trembling body. "You're really here."

"I'm really here, yes. There was no way in hell I was going to let them get away with this. Stupid bastards are locked up or hospitalized."

Emma was surprised by the strength of Regina's grip around her shoulders and neck, the fast, hot breath on the side of her neck. She very carefully chose not to notice the wet heat of tears. That vulnerability grounded her, brought back the responsibility of being the rescuer. Clearing her throat harshly, she shifted her grip, manipulating Regina so that she could be scooped up like a child. There were no groans of pain or cringes of tension, so that spoke well of Regina not being physically injured.

"You always have to rescue people, don't you?"

The whisper, a forced attempt at snark, actually made Emma scoff a bit as she settled Regina against her to get the hell out of this place. "Family business. And there was no way in hell I was going to rest before I found you and if those... those bastards," the vehemence in the word startled Regina, as did the strength of the protective grip Emma had on her shaking body. "Had hurt you, I just might have killed them both myself."

The ghostly echoes of the search party trickled through the darkness, confusing Regina and making her shy away.

"Half the damn town's been looking for you, because history or no history, this is messed up and me and Henry have been a mess. I really am sorry for mouthing off and getting you into trouble. It never would have occurred to me that Henry would overhear and go to you, embarrassing us both."

"You should have."

"Yes, I absolutely should have. You raised him smart."

Shaken again by being cared for so obviously, Regina couldn't make herself let go, clinging tight and continuing to ignore how cold and thirsty and miserable she was. "How did you find me?"

"I just listened. So to speak. We've mixed magics enough that I could feel you once I stopped fighting it."

Even though the strange cuff the men had put on her wrist, preventing her from using magic, Regina could feel the faint thrum between them like a tiny, thin wire of magical connection. It felt... good. Right somehow.

The rescuers were drawing closer, the faint flicker of artificial light heralding their presence. In the last moments of privacy, Regina leaned back to look into the hazel green eyes, still glowing faintly with the raw magic she'd been channeling with sheer intent. The sheer intensity of that gaze baffled her and made her feel more protected than she ever had before.

The quiet kiss to the corner of that tense mouth was sheer impulse and stopped Emma dead in her tracks.

"Thank you, Emma."

There was no chance of a reply, Henry charging at them in a flying tackle he barely managed to pull up from or bowl them both over. Sobbing and nearly hysterical, he clung to them, sinking to the floor of the mine in a group hug as the others arrived. In a riot of noise and flickering light, someone got a bit of water in Regina, pried her weight away from a protesting Emma. Only her mangled hands allowed the well-meaning townfolk to separate them and Regina was shocked at the quick glance she managed to get of them. 

The next twelve hours were a blur of medical attention and fitful sleep, leaving Regina as shaken as her captivity. She was hard pressed which was worse, the burn of the saline injections to rehydrate her body, or the cool strangers who stripped and bathed her. How she despised the loss of control, the powerlessness that left her shaken in body and soul.

At least no one had tried to make Henry leave and the weight of his body at her side kept Regina from completely losing her mind. They had talked some, Henry miserable and apologetic, thinking he had somehow helped put her in danger, sick with the knowledge that his own father had been party to the incident. Regina was exhausted, more so after soothing him, but she was so grateful to be able to do so at all. There had been times in those days of pitch darkness where only the faint glimmer of hope to see him again kept her from completely losing her mind. Him and Emma.

The words he'd told her, some bizarre excitement about she and Emma getting married, of all the ridiculous things, had haunted her in the darkness. Where on earth had he even gotten the idea? It could only be one more manipulation in a lifetime of being manipulated. Nothing else made any sense.

"What you're thinking?" Emma's voice so startled Regina, she nearly jumped right out of the hospital bed. When had the blonde crept into the dim room? "Yeah, it's probably not real far off."

Sighing, Emma pushed a wheeled stool over with her foot and sat down, laying heavily bandaged hands on Henry's side. Quiet lay over the three of them and the nighttime hospital that held them. For once, Regina held her tongue, curious what her counterpart would say.

Emma spent a very long moment looking at her hands where they rested on Henry's shirt before she began to speak softly, unable to meet Regina's gaze. "We've both been manipulated too much and I never should have done something so immature to you, even if it was never supposed to go past Neal's damn ears."

Upset again, Emma covered her face with her hands, ignoring the pain in them as tears leaked free. A gentle touch on her wrist made her move them away from her face to watch elegant fingers carefully tickle over her palm, feel the light press of thumb on the back of her hand. There was a thousand words in that touch, in the warm, dark gaze, the faint curl of smile.

"You couldn't handle me anyway."

The thrum of warm teasing in Regina's rich voice almost made Emma blush and she wisely took the unspoken forgiveness. With a careful twist of her battered hands, Emma cradled Regina's fingers in hers and felt herself smiling back.

"Regina, I am the only person who can handle you and we both know it."

Draping her arms over Henry's somnolent body, Emma willingly left her wounded hands in Regina's care, enjoying the gentle brush of fingertips. That it caused faint pain was almost a relief, a reminder that they had survived again.

"That you can, Emma," Regina whispered and stroked the blonde locks with her free hand. "That you can."

With their three skulls pressed close, it was easy for Emma to tilt hers to nuzzle into the dark tresses, breathing over silky skin. "I'm taking you two home tomorrow and I swear I'm gonna be hard pressed to let either of you out of my sight ever again."

"As much as I once would have told you off for being so presumptuous at you saying something like that," Regina found herself speaking with a loving grin. "I think this time I'll take it in the spirit given. Besides, I'll need your help getting this cuff off and you'll need some help with those hands."

"Done," Emma murmured, already more asleep than awake, at last brought to rest by son and shadowy partner close and safe. "Besides, you smell like hospital soap."

They drifted to sleep, for the first time, laughing together.


End file.
